Military Leads UK In Energy Saving War

Military Leads UK In Energy Saving War

Posted on 23. Dec, 2009 by Ross in Government Policy, United Kingdom

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is currently putting the rest of the government departments to shame, with the military hitting their 12.5% carbon reduction targets two years ahead of schedule.

In the government’s war against carbon emissions, the military are at the heart of the biggest battle: the MoD previously accounted for 60% of the carbon footprint of central government, making it responsible for 1% of the carbon emissions of the whole UK.

By focusing their efforts upon saving energy with military precision, the MoD have massively improved their energy efficiency. The effect has also been to save substantial sums of money which could be valuably deployed into other areas at a time when the UK military is stretched by a number of worldwide deployments and operations, as Matt Foley - head of the MoD’s Central Programme Office for Energy within Defence Estates - pointed out:

We are among the major energy consumers across government, and this achievement is further evidence of our commitment to reduce public sector carbon emissions, and use Defence resources as efficiently as possible, to ensure maximum funding and resources on the front line.

As well as having important financial and environmental effects, energy saving for the military has additional strategic importance. Lower energy demands require less dependence upon large power stations which could be easily crippled in a time of war. Instead, military infrastructure which has improved energy saving measures can draw sufficient power from smaller and more disperate sources which could be harder to target, or which could be situated on-site for additional security.

With the military’s target for 2011 already met, the MoD is focusing its energy saving strategy now towards its 2020 target of a 30% reduction from 2000 levels. More than 30 energy saving projects are being funded with an

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